Bars buck Marx, will open early for Cal Poly graduation

May 15, 2014

Downtown San Luis Obispo bars have spurned a request from Cal Poly and Mayor Jan Marx to forego opening at 6 a.m. on the upcoming days of the university’s graduation ceremonies. [Mustang News]

For years Cal Poly students have participated in a tradition of drinking downtown with friends on the mornings of their graduation. Some parents, as well, join in the festivities.

On April 16, Marx and Cal Poly Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey wrote a letter to the San Luis Obispo Downtown Association asking that bars not serve alcohol until 9 a.m. on June 14 and 15, the day of Cal Poly’s upcoming graduation ceremonies. Marx and Humphrey argued student intoxication was overshadowing the ceremonies.

Downtown Association representatives met with the mayor and Cal Poly administrator on Tuesday but chose not to fulfill their request.

“Overall, we did not feel that closing bars at 6 a.m. was the correct approach to handling the situation,” said Kimberly Walker, chair of the Downtown Association’s food and beverage committee.

Walker said the organization instead agreed to collaborate with Marx and Humphrey on a campaign to educate students about responsibly celebrating graduation.

15 Comments

OK, now “we” are claiming that because the bars are open for “too many” hours or too early in the day that we are “allowing” people to become drunks. Then, maybe we need to limit the hours that the grocery stores and restaurants are open because we have a society of over weight people? We could also limit the hours that gas stations are open to reduce driving cars? My wife loves to shop down town SLO so let’s only open them for an hour only each day and I could save a lot of money. I am still trying to figure out how I lived this long without a “nanny” state taking care of me?

I think you are blaming the wrong people. Don’t blame the businesses for what people do with their wares. Just have a couple of cops outside of each bar and arrest them for public drunkenness as they come out.

Fascinating what a difference between business people in old slotown, and in an actually decent place, Davis. When drunkenness threatened the UCD Picnic Day, it was the businesses, who really liked all the business Picnic Day brought them, who shut down the bars to keep that a decent occasion. Here the good ole girl Downtown Association thumbs its nose at everybody, keeps the bars open at 6 a.m. (geez, they’d lose a full three hours of drinking from what CP and the city asked for), thumbs its nose at those serious kids who don’t want their graduation ruined by drunken boobs, and completely loses track of the fact that if this occasion turns out to be a bummer, they’ll lose a whole lot more business than that 3 extra hours of drinking. Real sharp folks.